Power of the Priest--Sunday 22 May

Last Sunday’s first reading (Acts 6) dealt with vocations. The apostles, who needed uninterrupted time to pray and do God’s work, realized that not only does God’s work entail listening to Him and taking His word to the people, but to fulfill the human needs of the people as well. As a result, seven men were appointed to take up this other part of God’s work and fulfill these human needs, while the others went on with praying and fulfilling the spiritual needs of the people.

There are so many people capable of filling the human needs of the world, but how few can fulfill the spiritual needs of the world today! When I think of those whom I trust to influence, guide, lead, or challenge me, without question, they are often priests. Its seems strange at first but if you look deeper into the mission of the priest, his foremost job is to do all four of these things because he is called to do what Jesus would do. Though it is the authority of the Church that leads the people, the ones who are entrusted to carry it out are the priests. The ones with all the political pressure may be the faces we see on  TV, but it’s the parish priests who have the real, worldly pressure. It is the parish priest who has to lay it on the line to the faces he sees and personally knows, and who know his faults, and still tell them the hard facts about right and wrong and the teachings of the Faith—no matter what his personal feelings or habits may be concerning the matter.

The priest is so very important, crucial, he is so very powerful. He comes from such a long line of authority, and with power invested in him through the Catholic Church, it is easy to forget that he is human and he can fall too. With the level of responsibility a single priest has in bringing the Word and the teachings of the Church—untainted to the people—it is no wonder the Apostles wished to simplify their lives in order to spend extra time in prayer.

So let us not forget to pray for our brothers the priests, they have such a powerful position to hold without room for error. It is in our best interest, and theirs, to uphold them in prayer, fasting, and support so that they may not fall, so that we may not fall.